Today, many of the problems parents have with their
babies are linked to new parenting and feeding techniques that
have been implemented during the recent century. Colic, for
instance, is far more common in the U.S. than in many other places
around the world. Two chief causes for its rise are the stress
suffered by babies being regularly separated from their mothers,
and the common difficulties babies have tolerating the large cow's
milk proteins in infant formulas and breastfeeding mothers' diets.
Cow's milk is a foreign substance that has pervaded every corner
of our diets - starting with artificial infant feeds, but finding
its way into mother's breastmilk through the foods she eats as
well. As it turns out, health problems such as childhood diabetes,
obesity, bowel disease, osteoporosis, heart disease, cataracts,
colic, ear infections, hyperactivity, and cancer, on the rise in
both children and adults, can be strongly linked to infant feeding
choices.

While there are literally thousands of research studies, each
revealing at least one of milk's hazards, the dairy industry goes
to great lengths to stifle any damaging rumors. Blanket
statements, such as, "There is simply no scientific research
to back up these claims," are easily made. With a long and
successful history of dairy promotion, these are readily accepted
by the public. More people need to go to the real research and
learn the truth for themselves. They should be very suspicious of
these foreign foods being pushed on their children. They should
question motives as well as possible outcomes. Although some of
the dangers of cow's milk consumption relate more to adults than
to children, parents' actions form the basis for lifelong
dairy-consuming habits in their children.

The harmful components of cow's milk include all the major
parts of it, as well as some more minor elements. Lactose is a
sugar meant for babies, but it's generally harmful to adults. When
adults DO breakdown lactose, the resultant galactose can cause
vision, prostate, and other problems in older adults. The proteins
in cow's milk are different from human milk proteins and cause
problems of digestion, intolerance, impaired absorption of other
nutrients, and autoimmune reactions. Few of the proteins meant for
baby cows are found naturally in human mother's milk, and none are
found in any natural adult human food. Even the high protein
content in cow's milk creates problems. Human babies need the
saturated fats and cholesterol in mother's milk. Bovine milk fat
is not appropriately composed for human babies and is only
deleterious to the health of children and adults. Cow hormones are
not meant for humans, and older children and adults are not meant
to consume hormones. And, cows have been selectively bred over
time to create high levels of these hormones - those being the
cows that grow the fastest and produce the greatest amount of
milk. Cows also concentrate pesticides and pollutants into their
milk fat, from their high dietary food and water requirements. The
high amount of drugs now given to cows adds to this chemical soup.
But we need milk to build strong bones, don't we? Actually, heavy
milk consumption is associated with increased osteoporosis.

Deflating Dairy

The highly promoted idea that milk builds strong bones refers
to the prevention of osteoporosis - this is the reason for
strengthening bones. Decades of effort to demonstrate that high
calcium diets chiefly derived from dairy products build strong
bones have failed to prove any such correlation. In fact, the
opposite seems to be true.1 It appears that high calcium intake
before puberty, and especially in young childhood, may have some
slight positive effect on bones, but this diet is not the answer.
A balanced intake of all the bone minerals, along with adequate
vitamin A, C, D, and K, is what is truly needed. A balanced intake
of minerals cannot occur when the diet emphasizes dairy. Dairy's
high calcium causes relative deficiencies in magnesium and other
bone-building minerals, and its high phosphorus and animal protein
reduces calcium availability. Physical activity has the greatest
benefit for bones - the body efficiently uses what is available to
build strong bones when it senses the need. Human milk and
vegetable sources are superior to dairy for calcium and other
nutrients in many ways. There are fewer nutritional or other
health advantages to giving cow's milk to children than is
generally believed, while there are certainly many risks.

Almost every day another health research finding is made about
whole grains, a serving of vegetables, two fruits per day,
cashews, legumes, fish, or some other food, other than milk that
is, and their connection to a reduced risk of heart disease,
breast cancer, stroke, diabetes, or other disease. This is because
cow's milk and its derivatives today make up one-third of the
adult diet, and half to two-thirds of caloric intake in children,
thus replacing so much other important, nutritious food needed in
the diet. This leads to insufficient intake of important vitamins,
several minerals, and healthy fiber and vegetable oils.
Cancer-preventing antioxidants in foods are missing in this milk
diet as well. While one form of antioxidant vitamin A is added to
milk (but not all dairy products), it is likely counteracted by
the pesticide and drug residues. The full complement of vitamin A
and associated enzymes, found in vegetables and other foods, are
required for cancer prevention. Many, many more kinds of
antioxidants are found in vegetables, legumes, fruits, and grains.

No other animal in the animal kingdom drinks milk beyond
childhood. No other animal suffers from osteoporosis, except the
occasional pet raised on human meals.

If there remains a desire to provide milk to a child who has no
diarrhea, rashes, or other intolerance reactions, organic raw
whole milk would be the best choice. In raw (unpasteurized) milk
there will be healthy flora, and more active forms of immune
agents. In organic milk there are fewer antibiotic residues, no
added hormones, and cows are given better feeds. It is not true
that raw milk contains helpful lactase enzyme. Only curdled or
other high-bacteria versions will contain some; produced by the
bacteria. Commercial raw milks can contain a leukemia virus, but
this virus cannot perpetuate among drug-free raw milk cow sources.
Goat's milk is considered by many to be superior in many ways.
Much less documented information is available about goat's milk,
but it appears that the proteins are less problematic for
digestion, although allergic intolerance to these can also occur.
Lactose and natural hormones remain issues in goat milk although,
to date, goats apparently are not injected with extra growth
hormone.

Although it was apparent from day one that formula was a health
risk for infants, back when it was first promoted, cow's milk for
older children appeared to be a nutritional manna. And with one or
two glasses a day from a healthy, range-fed animal, it likely
nearly was. Since this time, however, the quality of dairy has
drastically reduced while its consumption has explodedů with a
massive amount of advertising help. The evidence suggesting that
the early faith in milk was misplaced has been building up for
decades. The dairy industry has had to take increasingly extreme
efforts to keep this information out of public awareness.

I have only touched on the tip of the existing evidence against
the health claims of the milk industry promoters. Since our
childhood, the dairy industry has worked hard to have dairy
products enshrined in a food group of their own. Even though they
were given their own space in the new Eating Right food pyramid,
they found themselves placed in a small upper portion and have
lobbied to have the pyramid withdrawn.2 Many nutrition experts
such as Harvard's Dr. Walter Willett3 suggest they should not be a
featured group in the pyramid at all. The dairy industry has also
successfully convinced many vegetarians that milk from cows is a
vegetarian food. Since few substantiated health claims can be made
anymore, the milk industry's most recent promotion has recently
been to simply show their product on the upper lip of celebrities
of all kinds, even those who are dairy-allergic (Bill Clinton),
and even on those who are too young to be consuming whole milk
(the Rugrats). Before this promo, it was simply "Got
milk?" While an ever-growing preponderance of scientific
information points to the dangers of cow's milk, favorable public
and even mainstream medical opinion about dairy products has been
very successfully maintained.

Knowing and avoiding the potentially harmful effects that high
dairy consumption and milk-sensitivity reactions can have on your
child is just as important and loving as nursing, close bonding,
and informed health care decisions. What we feed our children
matters; how we parent them matters. These measures will lead to
the best health, comfort and happiness available to a child.
Parents have the power to create and enjoy healthier, happier
children with brighter futures.